Already one of the pound-for-pound best in the game, UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja continued to prove on Saturday that he’s somehow getting better with age.
Pantoja (30-5), the 35-year-old from Brazil, dominated Kai Kara-France on the ground before submitting him in Round 3 via rear-naked choke in the co-main event of a UFC 317 pay-per-view card from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The victory, which marked Pantoja’s fourth defense of his 125-pound title, also further established his name in the UFC flyweight record books as he moved into first place for the most victories (14), finishes (8) and submissions (6) in the division’s history.
Just like in the opening round, Pantoja opened Round 3 by rushing Kara-France (25-12, 1 NC) with a flurry of strikes in order to back him up into the cage, From there, Pantoja took his opponent down and instantly took his back with a body triangle before slowing working his way into the choke.
Pantoja, who has never been stopped in his 35-bout pro career, recorded his 12th career submission overall and his ninth via rear-naked choke.
“I am always training for this position but I still am evolving,” Pantoja said. “I come from American Top Team, which is the best team in the world. That’s my fourth title defense, I think I deserve a better ranking in the pound-for-pound.”
Pantoja hasn’t just evolved his fitness into world-class shape since winning the title, he has become far more efficient and confident in his attack. The champion visibly took his foot off the gas in a close Round 2 but still rallied to back Kara-France up in the final minute with kicks to the body, including one that left a bright red blotch on his opponent’s midsection.
Kara-France, a 32-year-old from New Zealand, was fighting for just the third time since 2022 but secured the title shot based on his first-round knockout of former title challenger Steve Erceg last August. Kara-France, who lost for the third time in his last four fights, benefitted from the fact that Panotja entered 2025 with a 9-0 record against flyweights ranked in the top 10.
After the win, Pantoja squared off with 23-year-old upstart Joshua Van, who scored the most impressive win of his young career earlier in the night when he outpointed No. 1 contender Brandon Royval in a fight of the year contender. Van (15-2), who stopped Bruno Silva just three weeks ago at UFC 316, filled in on late notice for an injured Manel Kape to secure a shot at Pantoja’s title.
“[Van] is a humble guy, he deserves a shot at the title next,” Pantoja said.
“[Pantoja] is a great champion but he ain’t never fought Joshua Van,” Van said.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
F1 Austrian Grand Prix live updates: Follow latest from today’s race with Lando Norris on pole
Those who want to step back from the corporate labelling might like a little history lesson here. This former airfield was soon remodelled into a racing track, hosting its first action as the Osterreichring in 1969 and holding its first grand prix a year later.After a decade-long absence following numerous crashes and a Hermann Tilke redesign, the A1 ring was back on the calendar from 1997. Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz then bought the track in 2004 after another impending absence from the calendar — and the renamed Red Bull Ring has been an F1 mainstay since 2014.In that 11-race run, Red Bull (well, Max Verstappen) has won the Austrian Grand Prix four times. There were also two Styrian Grands Prix held at the circuit in 2020 and 2021 — named after the province in Austria — as F1 looked […]
Se Šmícou jsem si užíval každou vteřinu, říká legenda Liverpoolu. Hamann byl Prahou naprosto okouzlen
FotogalerieJednapadesátiletý záložník přijel na svou první návštěvu Prahy pouze na otočku kvůli exhibici v Dolních Chabrech, kterou pořádal jeho bývalý spoluhráč Vladimír Šmicer. „Bylo to skvělé odpoledne, zápas byl úžasný a myslím, že si ho všichni užili. Jsem rád, že se tady sešlo tolik lidí,“ říkal bezprostředně po závěrečném hvizdu Hamann, který byl jednou z hlavních hvězd světového týmu.Šmicer dal dohromady své bývalé spoluhráče nejen ze sezony, kdy s Liverpoolem ovládl Ligu mistrů. V Dolních Chabrech se představil třeba gólman Jerzey Dudek nebo útočník Robbie Fowler. „Jsem hrozně rád, že jsem opět viděl své bývalé spoluhráče a zahrál si s nimi. My se nevidíme moc často, takže to bylo super,“ těšilo Hamanna.Právě německý dlouhán byl členem týmu Liverpoolu v sezoně 2004/2005, kdy se Reds povedl triumfální obrat ve finále proti AC Milán. Poločasové manko 0:3 dokázali tehdy hráči smazat a v penaltovém rozstřelu rozhodnout. Z penalty se trefili Hamann a hlavně Šmicer, […]
Veslařky Flamíková se Šantrůčkovou byly druhé na SP v Lucernu
Flamíková se Šantrůčkovou se po startu držely na druhém místě. V polovině dvoukilometrové trati je sice předstihly Britky Eleanor Brinkhoffová s Megan Slabbertovou, ale české reprezentantky v závěrečné čtvrtině zvýšily tempo a posunuly se zpět na druhou pozici. Britskou posádku nakonec porazily o více než sekundu.Ve finále se dnes představí ještě párová čtyřka ve složení Terezie Janštová, Michala Pospíšilová, Alžběta Zavadilová, Alice Prokešová.Další tři české posádky startovaly ve finále B. Dvojka bez kormidelníka Jakub Podrazil a Dalibor Neděla i párová čtyřka Michal Zindulka, Martin Ježek, Jan Čížek, Filip Zima své závěrečné jízdy vyhrály a obsadily celkově sedmé místo.„V sobotu jsme měli problém s vlnami v první dráze, nedostali jsme se do svého standardního tempa a celkově to nebylo ono. Dnes jsme se na to připravili a bylo to mnohem lepší,“ řekl Neděla České televizi. „Až do 1750 metrů to bylo dobré, pak mi trošku došly síly, ale naštěstí jsme si vypracovali dostatečný náskok,“ […]
Sabres post-draft thoughts: Conor Timmins trade, the latest on Bowen Byram and more
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The 2025 NHL Draft will likely end up as a footnote in this Buffalo Sabres offseason. This summer is one in which general manager Kevyn Adams and coach Lindy Ruff are feeling legitimate pressure entering the final season of their contracts. The playoff drought continues to weigh on this team, and the fan base is restless. So while the Sabres added some interesting prospects this weekend, this offseason is all about the NHL roster.AdvertisementThis week was highlighted by Adams trading JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for defenseman Micahel Kesselring and winger Josh Doan. That was a massive trade that will end up defining Buffalo’s season and Adams’ tenure in some ways. Adams continued to tinker with the roster this weekend, trading Connor Clifton and a second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for defenseman […]
Why acquiring Jordan Spence could be a window into how Senators will run their offseason
OTTAWA — Jordan Spence knew something had to give when his ice time dwindled from an average of nearly 17 minutes per game in the regular season to between six and 11 minutes during the playoffs. He wanted a bigger role on the Los Angeles Kings, a team he had adored since childhood. He became a Kings fan watching Drew Doughty turn into one of the league’s best defencemen, and he got his chance when he was drafted by them in 2019. But with Brandt Clarke, another young right-shot defenceman, in their system, a hurdle was in Spence’s way.Advertisement“When you’re playing at a high level, you want to be relied on and trusted in any situation,” Spence said in a conference call on Saturday after his trade to the Senators. “And, for me, I think I’m ready to take a […]
2026 NBA mock draft: Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer lead way
The 2025 NBA Draft has come and gone, which means it’s time to introduce you to the new crop of NBA Draft prospects who have a chance to be selected in 2026.The good news? This class is expected to be deeper than the 2025 class both at the top and throughout the middle and latter portion of the first round. Not only have name, image and likeness rights resulted in players returning to school for extra years, but the incoming freshman class is seen as quite strong, led by a trio at the top in Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cam Boozer. While I would rank Cooper Flagg over this trio right now, they all profile as potential Tier One talents depending on how their collegiate seasons go.AdvertisementSo strap in and get excited for this upcoming group.A few notes: Many […]
Related
F1 Austrian Grand Prix live updates: Follow latest from today’s race with Lando Norris on pole
Those who want to step back from the corporate labelling might like a little history lesson here. This former airfield was soon remodelled into a racing track, hosting its first action as the Osterreichring in 1969 and holding its first grand prix a year later.After a decade-long absence following numerous crashes and a Hermann Tilke redesign, the A1 ring was back on the calendar from 1997. Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz then bought the track in 2004 after another impending absence from the calendar — and the renamed Red Bull Ring has been an F1 mainstay since 2014.In that 11-race run, Red Bull (well, Max Verstappen) has won the Austrian Grand Prix four times. There were also two Styrian Grands Prix held at the circuit in 2020 and 2021 — named after the province in Austria — as F1 looked […]
Se Šmícou jsem si užíval každou vteřinu, říká legenda Liverpoolu. Hamann byl Prahou naprosto okouzlen
FotogalerieJednapadesátiletý záložník přijel na svou první návštěvu Prahy pouze na otočku kvůli exhibici v Dolních Chabrech, kterou pořádal jeho bývalý spoluhráč Vladimír Šmicer. „Bylo to skvělé odpoledne, zápas byl úžasný a myslím, že si ho všichni užili. Jsem rád, že se tady sešlo tolik lidí,“ říkal bezprostředně po závěrečném hvizdu Hamann, který byl jednou z hlavních hvězd světového týmu.Šmicer dal dohromady své bývalé spoluhráče nejen ze sezony, kdy s Liverpoolem ovládl Ligu mistrů. V Dolních Chabrech se představil třeba gólman Jerzey Dudek nebo útočník Robbie Fowler. „Jsem hrozně rád, že jsem opět viděl své bývalé spoluhráče a zahrál si s nimi. My se nevidíme moc často, takže to bylo super,“ těšilo Hamanna.Právě německý dlouhán byl členem týmu Liverpoolu v sezoně 2004/2005, kdy se Reds povedl triumfální obrat ve finále proti AC Milán. Poločasové manko 0:3 dokázali tehdy hráči smazat a v penaltovém rozstřelu rozhodnout. Z penalty se trefili Hamann a hlavně Šmicer, […]
Veslařky Flamíková se Šantrůčkovou byly druhé na SP v Lucernu
Flamíková se Šantrůčkovou se po startu držely na druhém místě. V polovině dvoukilometrové trati je sice předstihly Britky Eleanor Brinkhoffová s Megan Slabbertovou, ale české reprezentantky v závěrečné čtvrtině zvýšily tempo a posunuly se zpět na druhou pozici. Britskou posádku nakonec porazily o více než sekundu.Ve finále se dnes představí ještě párová čtyřka ve složení Terezie Janštová, Michala Pospíšilová, Alžběta Zavadilová, Alice Prokešová.Další tři české posádky startovaly ve finále B. Dvojka bez kormidelníka Jakub Podrazil a Dalibor Neděla i párová čtyřka Michal Zindulka, Martin Ježek, Jan Čížek, Filip Zima své závěrečné jízdy vyhrály a obsadily celkově sedmé místo.„V sobotu jsme měli problém s vlnami v první dráze, nedostali jsme se do svého standardního tempa a celkově to nebylo ono. Dnes jsme se na to připravili a bylo to mnohem lepší,“ řekl Neděla České televizi. „Až do 1750 metrů to bylo dobré, pak mi trošku došly síly, ale naštěstí jsme si vypracovali dostatečný náskok,“ […]
Sabres post-draft thoughts: Conor Timmins trade, the latest on Bowen Byram and more
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The 2025 NHL Draft will likely end up as a footnote in this Buffalo Sabres offseason. This summer is one in which general manager Kevyn Adams and coach Lindy Ruff are feeling legitimate pressure entering the final season of their contracts. The playoff drought continues to weigh on this team, and the fan base is restless. So while the Sabres added some interesting prospects this weekend, this offseason is all about the NHL roster.AdvertisementThis week was highlighted by Adams trading JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for defenseman Micahel Kesselring and winger Josh Doan. That was a massive trade that will end up defining Buffalo’s season and Adams’ tenure in some ways. Adams continued to tinker with the roster this weekend, trading Connor Clifton and a second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for defenseman […]
Why acquiring Jordan Spence could be a window into how Senators will run their offseason
OTTAWA — Jordan Spence knew something had to give when his ice time dwindled from an average of nearly 17 minutes per game in the regular season to between six and 11 minutes during the playoffs. He wanted a bigger role on the Los Angeles Kings, a team he had adored since childhood. He became a Kings fan watching Drew Doughty turn into one of the league’s best defencemen, and he got his chance when he was drafted by them in 2019. But with Brandt Clarke, another young right-shot defenceman, in their system, a hurdle was in Spence’s way.Advertisement“When you’re playing at a high level, you want to be relied on and trusted in any situation,” Spence said in a conference call on Saturday after his trade to the Senators. “And, for me, I think I’m ready to take a […]
2026 NBA mock draft: Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer lead way
The 2025 NBA Draft has come and gone, which means it’s time to introduce you to the new crop of NBA Draft prospects who have a chance to be selected in 2026.The good news? This class is expected to be deeper than the 2025 class both at the top and throughout the middle and latter portion of the first round. Not only have name, image and likeness rights resulted in players returning to school for extra years, but the incoming freshman class is seen as quite strong, led by a trio at the top in Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cam Boozer. While I would rank Cooper Flagg over this trio right now, they all profile as potential Tier One talents depending on how their collegiate seasons go.AdvertisementSo strap in and get excited for this upcoming group.A few notes: Many […]
Be the first to leave a comment